Counting and Joining Sets Lesson Plan

Resources
TED 410 Class Notes
o Math Talk: Quick Images (2/11/2020)
o Math Talk: Choral Count (2/18/ 2020)
o Problem Solving: 3-Act Tasks (2/11/2020)

For Section VII, Part A: Launch the Task and Section XI Homework, I used the website:
http://ntimages.weebly.com/photos.html.

For Section VII, Part B: Open-ended, I used the website: https://gfletchy.com/the-candyman/.

Contextual Information: How did knowledge of students’ assets and needs inform the planning of this
lesson TPE 1.1, 2.2?
I know that the first-grade math standards ask for students to add within 20. I also know that most students are
visual learners and acquire knowledge the best when they interact with their peers. This is why both my Math
Talk and Problem Resolution activities ask for students to work with numbers that are within 20 and provide
students with the opportunities to learn from each other through constant discussions. Therefore, The CCSS,
paired with the skills asked for in the Math Practices, such as persevering through a problem and constructing
viable arguments, along with the needs of my students, informed and guided me through the planning of this
math lesson.

Before this lesson, students will already be familiar with: how to use basic addition principles, how to make
groups with objects, how to choral/ skip count, how to make observations and articulate them, how to
participate in partner, small-group, and whole-group discussions, how to participate in Math Talks, and how to
engage with Problem Resolution activities.

I will have prepared my students for this lesson by assuring that these are skills and principles that they are
either familiar with or have mastered. For example, they will have had plenty of opportunities to participate in
Math Talks, including those which require making observations about a Visual Image. Furthermore, students
will have had previous exposure to 3-Act Tasks, so they will already know the expectations of this activity.
They will know that to engage fully and appropriately in both of these activities, they will need to work
collaboratively and ask questions. Most importantly, they will know that the purpose of these activities is not to
get the correct response, but instead to use the math skills they have acquired so far and use the information
provided to work through a problem.

I. Standards (Number and complete text of the relevant parts of each standard)
CCSSM Standard Content
1.OA.6 Add and subtract within 20, demonstrating fluency for addition and subtraction within 10. Use
strategies such as counting on; making ten; decomposing a number leading to a ten; using the relationship
between addition and subtraction; and creating equivalent but easier or known sums.

1.MD.4 Organize, represent, and interpret data with up to three categories; ask and answer questions about the
total number of data points, how many in each category, and how many more or less are in one category than in
another.

CCSSM Standard Practice

1.Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them.
2. Reason abstractly and quantitatively.
3.Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others.
4. Model with mathematics.
5. Use appropriate tools strategically.
6. Attend to precision.
7. Look for and make use of structure.
8. Look for/ express regularity in repeated reasoning.

ELD Standard
SL.1.1 Exchanging information and ideas with others through oral collaborative conversations on a range of
social and academic topics.

SL.1.1-3 Listen actively to spoken English in a range of social and academic contexts.

II. Objectives (Learning Outcome)

After observing and discussing what they notice in a Visual Image, students will complete a 3-Act Task where
they will be guided through a sequence of 3 tasks, which include making observations about what they think is
happening and what they wonder when given 2 short clips and an image with information, to collaboratively
work through the problem in each step and come up with a resolution.

III. Description of Lesson (Big Ideas)

Operations and Algebraic Thinking
I will use students critical and creative thinking skills to tap into their operations and algebraic thinking skills.
The big ideas are: (1) Flexible methods for computation involve taking apart and combining numbers in a
variety of ways, and (2) Number relationships provide the foundation for strategies that help students remember
basic facts.

IV. Curriculum Connection

Unit Topic
Counting and Joining Sets

Previous Lesson
During the lesson before this, students had the opportunity to engage in a Math Talk, where they were given a
Visual Image. They were expected to observe the image, talk about what they see with a partner, and then share
their thoughts to the whole class. In addition, students also had a Problem Resolution activity where they had to
work through the steps in a 3-Act Task. The tasks before this lesson were more basic, and the purpose was for
them to gain an understanding of how this type of activity works. They know that the purpose of all Problem
Resolution activities is to show their thinking process on paper, not necessarily to get a correct response.

Next lesson
In the lesson that follows, students will be looking at the same Visual Image, along with the one given for
homework. I will let them know that they can bring up observations they made last time, but they should also
try to find new things and make connections to the new Visual Image. They will also participate in another 3-
Act Task activity. However, the tasks will become more complex in size and content. Students will be
encouraged to make addition/subtraction sentences based on the information they are given in the steps of the
activity. They will also be encouraged to work through the problem with a partner to see if they can find two
separate strategies of solving the problem. The purpose of the Problem Resolution activity is still to show their
thinking process and strategies used to work through the problem, not necessarily to get a correct response.
V. Literacy (Academic Language)
Receptive
Students will use their listening skills throughout the various activities in this lesson. They will listen to the
teacher give instructions and ask questions during the Math Talk, Problem Resolution activity, Share-Aloud,
and when giving homework. Some of the instructions that the students will listen to the teacher make include:
make observations, think about what you see, watch this short clip, complete your homework with someone in
your family, etc.

In addition, students will occasionally use their reading skills. One instance is during the Math Talk, when the
teacher is writing the observations made about the Visual Image. Students will be able to read the observations
the teacher wrote as reference. Another instance is in the second step of the 3-Act Task, when the students will
be given a picture that shows how many of each color gum came out of the machine. In this picture, the students
will have to read both the color of the gum and the amount.

Productive
Students will have opportunities to use their speaking skills throughout all the activities in this lesson. The Math
Talk, Problem Resolution activity, and Share-Aloud all require students to participate in pair-share observations
and whole-group class discussions. Topics of discussion throughout the activities include: what do you notice
about the image, how did you count, what do you wonder about this clip, do you agree with your partner, etc.

Furthermore, students will also use their writing skills. This will be done during the 3-Act Task, where they will
take note of information they are given during each step. More specifically, the second step in the activity gives
students a picture, which shows how many of each color gum came out of the machine. Students will write
these numbers down, and then use them during the last step in the task to resolve the problem. Students will also
apply their writing skills for their Exit Slips, in which they will write a couple sentences about something new
they learned during this lesson.

Vocabulary
Observe, Grouping, Estimate, Count by…

VI. Materials and Resources

Clear binder sheets with visual image inside of them (one per pair of students), dry-erase markers, pencils,
white printer paper, poster paper, computer, projector, white board

VII. Instruction for math using Guided Discovery Model from Strategies and Models for Teachers.
A. Math Talk: Visual Image
Launch
the task
The purpose of a Math Talk is to get students to think about math and have a discussion with their
peers before starting the bulk of a math lesson. For this lesson, my Math Talk consists of a Visual
Image, in which students are given a picture and they make observations. Then, they talk about
these observations and how they connect to topics found in math. The teacher writes these
observations down for students to see and elicits/ guides their thinking by asking questions based
on what students have said they notice in the image.

I will start the lesson by projecting the Visual Image above, as well as giving each pair of students
a copy of the image. The picture is of 12 differently colored cupcake wrappers in a pan, arranged
in a 4 by 3 array. It comes from the website: http://ntimages.weebly.com/photos.html.

The following are my steps and projected conversation with the students:

Teacher: I handed out pictures, and I am going to give everyone one minute to look at the picture
and think about what you see.

(After a minute) Teacher: Turn to your partner and tell them about one thing you noticed. If you
both noticed the same thing, try to come up with something different.

(After a minute) Teacher: Okay, so now can someone quietly raise they hand and tell me one
thing they shared with their partner.

Student 1: I noticed cupcake wrappers.

Teacher: (Write down observation) Student 1 noticed cupcake wrappers. Did someone notice
anything different?

Student 1: I noticed that there are 12 cupcake wrappers.

Teacher: Great observation. Can you tell me more? How did you know there were 12?

Student 1: I counted them.

Teacher: How did you count?

Student 1: One-by-one.

Teacher: Good. Student 1 counted by one’s. Did anyone count differently?

Student 2: I counted by 2’s.

Teacher: Student 2 counted by 2’s. That’s interesting. Can you come up and show the class how
you did that?

Student 2: (Comes up to board and circles 6 groups of 2)

Teacher: Do we all see how Student 2 counted? Do we see that there are many ways we can
count?
 (This class discussion continues for a few more minutes. Some other possible observations from
students include: the colors they see, how many of each color, other ways of grouping to count the
total, etc.)

Teacher: We did a nice job with this activity. Let’s move on to something else so we can make
more observations.

B. Problem Resolution: 3-Act Task

Open-
ended The purpose of a Problem Resolution activity is to get students to work through a problem using
the math strategies they have learned. For this lesson, my Problem Resolution activity consists of
a 3-Act Task, in which students are given a series of 3 tasks, with each task giving a little more
information than the last. In the end, students should have come up with a solution to the problem
and be able to show their thinking process throughout each step.

I will build on the previous activity by guiding students through a short sequence of steps so that
they can solve a problem. The purpose of this activity is for students to make sense of a problem
based on the information that is given to them from each step, and to persevere in solving it. They
should be able to justify their answer by constructing arguments based on the process and
strategies they used to solve it.

For this 3-Act Task, a person buys gum from a candy machine. Students need figure out how
many pieces of gum came out of the machine. The 3-Act Task comes from the website:
https://gfletchy.com/the-candyman/.

The following are my steps and projected conversation with the students:

Teacher: Okay, so now we will transition into watching a short clip. It’s going to go by very
quickly, so I want all of you to watch it very carefully.

(Part 1 of 3-Act Task: Play first clip of a person inserting a quarter into a candy machine, taking
the pieces of gum that came out of the machine, and closing his hand so that the amount he has is
not visible. Play video one more time.)

Teacher: Quickly discuss with your partner what you noticed in the video and what you wonder.

(After a minute) Teacher: Can someone quietly raise their hand and tell me something they shared
with their partner.
Student 1: I noticed that someone bought candy.

Teacher: Good observation. Does anyone wonder something else about the video?

Student 2: I wonder how many candies he has.

Teacher: That’s interesting Student 2. I wonder the same thing. How many pieces of gum do we
think are in the person’s hand? Can someone raise their hand and make a guess?

Student 3: I think there are 25.

Teacher: Okay. Can someone tell me a really small number that we know for sure isn’t the
amount that he has?

Student 4: 0.

Teacher: Can someone tell me a really big number that we know for sure isn’t the amount that he
has?

Student 5: 100.

Teacher: So now we know that the number of pieces of gum is going to be somewhere between 0
and 100. Let’s see if we can find out more.

(Part 2 of 3-Act Task: Show image which gives students more information about how many
pieces of gum are in the person’s hand.)

Teacher: This next part gives us some more information. As we can see, now we know how many
pieces of each color gum are in the person’s hand. Can someone read out the color and amount
shown in the chart?

Student 6: They have 4 orange, 2 red, 2 yellow, 2 white, and 0 pink.

Teacher: Great. Let’s write those numbers down and see if we can figure out how many pieces of
gum there are in total. After you are done, share your answer with your partner and tell them how
you got it. When everyone is done sharing, I will play the last clip so we can get more
information.
 (Part 3 of 3-Act Task: Play second clip of same person inserting a quarter into a candy machine
and taking the gum out. This time, they open their hand so that we can see how many pieces of
gum he is holding.)

Teacher: So now the person opened their hand. Do we think it is easier to figure out how many
pieces of gum they have based on this clip?

Student 6: Yes. Now we can just count them.

Teacher: That’s a great idea. Let’s count them together and see if they match your answers from
the last step. If the answers don’t match, it is okay. As long as you show me how you got your
answer on your sheet of paper.

C. Share-out
Convergent I will facilitate a discussion so that students can debrief and share any lingering thoughts,
phase questions, or comments.

Closing statement: For math today, we started by looking at a picture and making observations.
Then, we watched some short clips and solved a problem. Do we think that if we look at the
picture or watch the clips again tomorrow, or next week, we might see things we didn’t see this
time?

D. For the last activity, I will give students a prompt for an Exit Slip. They will have to write on a
Application half-sheet of paper about one new thing they learned either during the Math Talk or Problem
Activity Resolution. For example, they can write about a counting strategy they didn’t know how to do,
(Practice such as how to add multiple numbers together or counting by grouping. Then, they will share this
and/ or idea with the members in their table groups.
Reflection)

VIII. Assessments (how will you know students have met your content objectives?)
Task Analysis for the lesson
I will ask questions that elicit and guide student thinking. By doing so, students will participate in discussions
with their partners and whole group.

Formative assessment for the lesson

I will make observations during the lesson. While doing so, I will write down notes if I notice anything
interesting, such as good cooperation skills or a student showing improvement in a skill they were previously
having trouble with. I will also walk around the class and listen in on student conversations during pair-shares
so that I know what students are thinking even if they don’t participate during whole group.

Student Self-Assessment
I will have students self-assess by the prompt in Exit Slips where they get to write about a new idea they
learned. This idea can come from something their partner shared during pair-shares, something that one of their
classmates

Summative assessment for the lesson with Rubric

I will take home all student work from this lesson. This includes their writing during the Problem Resolution
activity. I will also read the students’ Exit Slips to see what they learned. I will use all both of these assignments
and pair them with observations and short notes I take during the lesson to assess student understanding of the
material.

IX. Universal Design for Learning

In the Engagement section, one of the subcategories I will focus on is Sustaining Effort and Persistence. For
this, I will foster collaboration and community by providing students with plenty of opportunities to work with
their peers. This will be done through think-pair-shares, as well as with respectful and collaborative class
discussions where students will build off of each other’s thinking and ideas. A second subcategory that I will
reinforce is Self-Regulation. For this, I will develop self-assessment and reflection in the form of Exit Slips.
This will be an opportunity for students to debrief and write about a new skill they learned during the lesson.
They will reflect by sharing with their table group.

In the Representation section, I will focus on the Comprehension subcategory. For this, I will guide information
processing and visualization by asking questions that elicit student thinking and responses. For example, if a
student counts the number of cupcake wrappers during the Math Talk, I can ask whether someone counted in a
different way. I can provide opportunities for visualization in this same activity by having a student come up
and show the class how they counted on the board.

In the Action and Expression section, one of the subcategories I will focus on is Expression & Communication.
For this, I will build fluencies with graduated levels of support for practice and performance by assisting
students who do not yet know how to group objects together to count. A second subcategory I will focus on is
Executive Functions. For this, I will guide appropriate goal setting by reiterating that the goal of the Problem
Resolution activity is for them to demonstrate their thinking process throughout each step.

X. Accommodations and modifications

For students with an IEP or 504 Plan, I will accommodate by proving enough think-time, making sure that the
Visual Image is big enough for them to see on the board (or providing them with a hard copy for them to have
in front of them), thinking about their seating so that they have space to move if they need to and so that they
can see the board/ hear me, partnering them with someone that I know they can work collaboratively with,
enunciating when I talk, and being clear and specific with instructions.

XI. Homework
The Visual Image above will be given to students for homework. It consists of differently colored toy chicks
arranged in a 3 by 4 array, with one chick missing in the second row of the third column. This image was found
on the website: http://ntimages.weebly.com/photos.html.

I will give students a copy of the Visual Image shown above. I will ask them to make observations and discuss
what they notice from the picture at home with their parents. I will also provide them a list of questions that can
guide their discussion, such as: How many objects there in the image? How do you know? Is there more than
one way to count? Can you find any similarities between the Visual Image from the Math Talk and the one for
homework? What are some differences? I will also ask them to remember this discussion and bring their ideas
to class the next day to share.

The purpose of this homework assignment is to give students more exposure to Visual Image activities. I chose
this specific image because it builds on the one from the Math Talk. This one is a bit more challenging because
there is one object missing.